


Nightmares

by Forgotten_Peggy



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-15 01:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10548014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forgotten_Peggy/pseuds/Forgotten_Peggy
Summary: Jack has nightmares, but he knows better than to wake any of the other newsies up.





	

He sat upright from his mat, knowing that a sleepless night was now inevitable.  
  
He prayed silently that many hours had passed since he went to sleep, but looking up at the night sky, he knew that it was barely past midnight. A cool breeze caused him to shiver, and he looked over at Crutchie, half out of instinct, to check that he was there and okay.  
  
_It was just a nightmare_ , he reminded himself.  
  
The nightmares often came like this, as soon as he got to sleep, always waking him up soon afterwards. He wished they would go away, but inside knew that wishing did no good.  
  
They first came when he was in the refuge, almost every night back then, and he used to try to go back to sleep, knowing there was nothing else to do, but to no avail. He gave up trying after he escaped, instead finding himself pacing the length of his and Crutchie's rooftop when he couldn't sleep.  
  
He often wished there was someone he could talk to when he had these nightmares, but he knew better than to wake any of the guys up. Not only would they probably get grumpy, but even if they did actually want to talk or help, he knew he would feel bad as they already had enough going against them, and didn't need sleep deprivation to be added to that.  
  
Before the strike, he didn't know anyone who would even be awake at this hour, but now his mind drifts to one Miss Katherine Plumber, who he knew would most likely still be up and at her typewriter, trying to write the next big front-page story. He felt bad about interrupting her, knowing that she would probably be on a roll, or else she'd be asleep, but he needed to talk to someone. No one even knew he had these nightmares, and the pent up stress from years of having them was becoming unbearable for him.  
  
Silently, so as not to wake Crutchie, he got somewhat dressed, grabbing his hat before descending the small ladder that separated the rooftop from the lodging house. He knew he didn't need his hat, it was the middle of the night after all, but he always felt somewhat naked without it. He silently tiptoed through the hallways, past his sleeping friends, freezing when Race rolled over in his sleep, but making it down the stairs without waking anyone else up.  
  
As he stepped outside, he inhaled a deep breath of the crisp fall air, savouring the relative silence of the city. The street lamps lining the roads emitted a soft yellow glow that flickered occasionally, allowing just enough light for him to follow the familiar route to Katherine's apartment.  
  
He had no fear, wandering the streets of New York at night. These streets were his home, and he knew them like the back of his hand. As he walked past his regular selling spot, he figured he knew most of the people around here too.  
  
Twenty minutes later, he found himself on the street, looking up at Katherine's apartment. Trying the door to the building, he found that it was locked, something he knew was a sensible safety measure but something that just really annoyed him in that moment.  
  
Instead, he sighed as he turned around to find the fire escape. He climbed it quickly but silently, not wanting to wake a bunch of strangers up any more than the newsies. By the time he got to Katherine's window, he was starting to question whether or not his had actually been a good idea. Slowly, he raised his hand and knocked twice on the window.  
  
"Who's there?" Katherine asked, fear lacing her voice, as she stepped into the room adjacent to the window, her bedroom. She looked around before her eyes landed on the window, and relief flooded her face. "Jack," she said simply, opening the window and running straight into his arms as soon as he was inside, clearly scared. He hated that he did that to her, but her move comforted him as much as it did her.   
  
"Are you okay?" Katherine asked, finally stepping away to see how big the dark bags under his eyes were, and how pale his skin was from the cold night air. "Why are you here?"  
  
Jack couldn't bring himself to answer. _Just say it_ , he told himself, _you were having nightmares about the refuge. It's simple._ But it really wasn't.  
  
"Jack? Are all of the boys okay?" Katherine questioned after receiving no response.  
  
"Yeah, yeah they're fine," he managed to stammer out. "I just... Nightmares," he confessed quietly.  
  
Katherine's eyes widened. "The refuge?" All he could do was nod. "Here, come here," she said, leading him towards her bedroom, the article she was working on now forgotten.  
  
Jack didn't protest as Katherine helped him into her bed. He was exhausted, the combination of his usual tiredness, the nightmare, and trekking across the city in the middle of the night had completely worn him out. Inhaling Katherine's scent and presence from her bed, he felt a lot calmer, but knew it wouldn't be enough to fully enable him to sleep.  
  
"Can you please stay?" He asked quietly as she turned to leave. Katherine smiled to herself, before nodding and climbing into her bed next to Jack. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his stomach, and only then did he finally let his exhaustion catch up with him.  
  
He was asleep within minutes, finally peaceful.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave kudos/comments/feedback :)
> 
> My tumblr is forgotten-peggy.tumblr.com


End file.
